King Harobed
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King Harobed

Coalinga, California, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2009 | SELF

Coalinga, California, United States | SELF
Established on Jan, 2009
Band Alternative Folk

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This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

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"A Bountiful Harvest Indeed"

"Sierra Nevada", the latest release from King Harobed, marks a significant progression, and something of a departure, from their self-titled album (which is worth checking out as well!). Whereas their self-titled release leaned towards an alt-country flavored sound, "Sierra Nevada" sees the band successfully incorporating elements from a number of genres, such as folk, indie, blues, and rock, which truly makes each song stand out. In addition, the band has branched out and incorporated a wider variety of instruments on these songs-there's the tasteful and understated organ/piano parts that make multiple appearances throughout the album, a haunting and otherworldly singing saw on "Fires", subtle mandolin strumming on "The Lord, The Bull, and I", and a trumpet solo on "Lowridin' King", which I personally believe is one of the album's highlights. Singer/guitarist Brian Boomer's vocals are also more refined on this release, which is simply a natural progression like everything else on the album. And it's certainly worth noting that the background vocals/harmonies are very well done as well, which seems to be something of a lost art nowadays. The lyrical content is stellar as always, and each song really tells a story. The words certainly extend past the tired cliches of heartbreak and failed romances that seem to be everywhere nowadays. To say the least, there's more creative imagery on this album than you're likely to hear from most artists on iTunes' "top 10" chart. The production values this time around are noticeably better, with every instrument getting a great mix and each song displaying a newfound level of cleanness.

To put it simply, there's not a bad song to be found on "Sierra Nevada". Looking for something folky? Check out "May The Road Rise" or "We Are the Sum". "Ya Yur Kids" and "100 Yards" are the album's biggest rockers, while "Ole' Haymaker (I Loved You)" and the title track provide two of the album's most intense and dramatic moments, with the latter gradually building from acoustic guitar and electric piano to an all-out musical assault that brings to mind Wilco's "At Least That's What You Said" before giving way to some truly excellent and haunting vocal harmonies. And "The Lord, The Bull, and I" is a cut that wouldn't have sounded out of place on King Harobed's self-titled release.

In conclusion, I would highly recommend "Sierra Nevada"; more specifically, I would recommend buying the entire album. Each song has its own distinct characteristics, and I feel that listening to only a few select tracks would be an injustice- this is an album that can and should be listened to in its entirety. However, for those who would like to sample a few tracks first, I would recommend the title track, "Brothers", "Lowridin' King", and "Ole' Haymaker" as good starting points. This is a truly fantastic album (easily one of the best of 2012 thus far), and these guys definitely deserve more exposure. - Itunes


"King Harobed EP"

King Harobed is a folk group from Coalinga, CA. The band consists of childhood friends Brian Boomer, Dustin Herron and Kris Phillips, and as most childhood friends do they moved away and grew apart. Separated for year, the band members work and travelled but always thought about playing music. Then, in the summer of 2009, they reunited and created King Harobed and released their debut self-titled EP.

King Harobed is an EP chock-full of earthy alt-country songs about hard times, farming, and simple living. The opening “Gardener's Delight” is a fun and catchy song with a mandolin embellishment while the foot-stomping “Backroad Blues”enhanced by an electric guitar. On “Hard Patch Earth” the earnest vocals deliver a sad song about bad luck, bad soil, and no crops and the slide guitar colors “Our Debts We'll Repay” with a wistful tone.

It's a tasty homegrown album straight off the farm and the band is giving it away, so go to their bandcamp site for a free download of the EP King Harobed. - Common Folk Music


"Dudes of the Dust"

- Sierra Nevada - Plenty of depth and killer moments on the new one. Thanks and nice job, I'll enjoy it for awhile.

- EP - Nice work, specially the "cowboy/wings-#6 song". It begs to lift off and take flight. And I do know the plight of the soul who gets trapped under that valley overcast. - Jason Lytle


Discography

King Harobed - Sierra Nevada, 2012
King Harobed - EP, 2009

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Bio

King Harobed is an indie folk-rock band from California's Central Valley. The band draws inspiration from the area that bred them that includes vast amounts of farmland, federal prisons and the largest slaughterhouse in the West. Through any number of line ups, King Harobed has been performing together for a number of years but has only recently received notoriety under the current line up which foaled in 2010.

The players are Brian Boomer (guitar, vocals), Dom Brown (bass, vocals), Dustin Caldera (drums), Aaron Taylor (lead guitar, misc.) and Dallas Chastain (keys). King Harobed self-released an eponymous EP in 2009 that was ultimately more alt-country flavored than their current sound. King Harobed has now released new material as a folk rock band while still owing much of its sound to the valley. King Harobed - Sierra Nevada was released in April of 2012.